We are pleased to welcome the world-renowned composer Peteris Vasks to the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp between 9 and 12 February 2022. He will provide students with insight into his work by leading masterclasses in Composition and Chamber Music. On 10 February, the Conservatoire String Orchestra will perform a major concert in his presence.
Peteris Vasks was born in 1946 in Latvia. As a young boy he studied double bass at a local music school. It was there, at the age of eight, that he wrote his first compositions. Vasks continued his double bass studies with Vytautas Sereika at the Lithuanian Conservatory in Vilnius. His orchestral career started already in 1961. He was a member of several leading orchestras in his home country and abroad. In 1973 he began studying composition with Valentin Utkin at the Latvian Academy of Music in Riga. As soon as the Soviet era ended, his career as a composer really took off. Although choral music occupies a large place in Vasks' oeuvre, his instrumental work is also performed by renowned musicians all over the world. Choreographers, also, frequently use his compositions for their works.
Nature and the suffering of the Latvian people during the Soviet period are recurring themes in Vasks' work.
In recent years, the Latvian composer has primarily written compositions for strings, in which he has often worked closely with renowned soloists.
Programme
Peteris Vasks will be giving masterclasses in Chamber Music and Composition during his three days at the Antwerp Royal Conservatoire. On 10 February he will be present at a concert by the string orchestra, conducted by Diana Ketler. Besides works by Vasks himself, the students will also play pieces by Sibelius and Rautavaara. Leon Blekh, master's student in Classical Music, is the soloist. You can attend the concert as well. Tickets are available via DE SINGEL.
For our Classical Music students it will be an incredible experience. They will have the opportunity to learn from and work with one of the greatest living composers of our time.
The full programme and the ticket link can be found in our calendar.
Picture: © Aivars Liepiņš